Eliza Dushku speaks out about Bull exit, Michael Weatherly in op-ed
In a new, detailed op-ed piece within the Boston Globe, Dushku starts things off by explaining why she chose to speak out after initially declining to be a part of the original report:
I feel compelled to chronicle what actually happened after The New York Times published a story about how CBS handled my allegations. I declined to be interviewed for that piece because I wanted to honor the terms of my settlement with the network. I was under the impression that Weatherly and Caron would also not respond per our settlement. Instead, all commented to the Times in what amounted to more deflection, denial, and spin.
From there, Dushku goes on to describe why she was hired as a potential series regular for Bull, as the network wanted to pivot the series and make it more akin to Moonlighting. That was one of the reasons that Glenn Gordon Caron was brought on to run the show in the first place — to help provide a change of tone. From there, she went on to discuss her account of experiences on the set, including some of the suggestive comments made at her by Weatherly and his eventual handling of the situation. She accused him of effectively sending a text to help get her written off the show, claiming that she had a “humor deficit.” She also accuses Caron of writing her off of the show without full CBS approval, and within 48 hours of her conversation with Weatherly about his behavior. It is a detailed account, one that could presumably lead to another statement or something more down the line.
Weatherly has already apologized in a statement to the Times over his behavior; meanwhile, some of his past and present co-stars have spoken out about their experiences working with him.
What this means for the future of Bull
It’s the same as we’ve been saying for a while now. We feel like the series’ future is largely going to be up to its performance moving forward in the ratings, but this situation could end up proving to have an impact on that. New episodes of Bull are currently scheduled to air on Monday nights starting in mid-January. If CBS does choose down the line to make changes, it’s hard to imagine Bull existing without Weatherly. He is the top-line star of the show, and he also plays the titular character.
We will have more news as this story breaks; for now, be sure to share some of your thoughts in the attached comments. (Photo: CBS.)